Sociology

SOCIOLOGYfeatured: ’14 Darren Fells, went from playing basketball in the bren to being the arizona cardinals'
tight end

Photo courtesy of Arizona Cardinals

When you’re an Anteater, football at the
collegiate and professional level is something you watch, not necessarily
play (at least competitive).

Unless you’re Darren Fells ’14. As the tight end for the Arizona Cardinals,
he’s UCI’s first NFL player, which is quite remarkable, considering that we
don’t have a football team. The former Anteater basketball star was a standout
on the high school gridiron before deciding to focus on the court—instead of
the field—once he got to college. He later played basketball professionally
for five years in Europe and South America before being drafted into the NFL
during open tryouts in 2012.

But Fells got much more out of his college experience than a career as a professional
athlete. His degree in sociology has helped him both on and off the field, and
he hopes
to pursue a career in counseling when his time in the NFL comes to a close.

So what does a sociology degree have to do with professional sports? A lot, according
to Fells.

“I was always very interested in why people behave the way they do,” he says.
“It’s so interesting to me how you can understand people’s mentalities and how
different people approach certain situations,” Fells says.

Understanding the various factors that affect how a person reacts to a situation is
invaluable when playing a team sport like football—especially when there is a
lot
at stake and tensions can run high.

“With sociology, you learn to understand how people act in a certain environment,
and in football, you’re in an environment with peers and you’re all trying to
get the
exact same result,” he says.

That understanding can also help one know how to diffuse high-stress situations, and
Fells
has found himself acting as a “therapist” to some teammates over the years,
lending an ear or offering advice when he sees someone who needs it.

“It’s an every day, every game situation, but once you do understand a person’s mindset,
it’s easier to pick up on when they may be off their game and understand what
you need to
do to get them back focused to help the team out.”

His studies in sociology didn’t just help Fells with his teammates. His interest in
the
subject extends to interest in other cultures, and he even credits his UCI courses
for
inspiring him to sign the contract that sent him to Europe to play basketball.

One introductory sociology class in particular,
which required the students to choose one ethnic group to
study and then present to the class, sticks out in his mind.

“During the group presentations I remember thinking how
interesting all these other cultures were,” he says. “I
was jealous of the other groups. That’s one reason why I ended up
going and playing basketball overseas—so that I could experience
different cultures for myself.”

And experience other cultures he did. Fells played in Belgium,
Finland, France, Mexico, and Argentina before finally deciding
that his heart was with football. So he moved back to the U.S.
to pursue a spot in the NFL.

“Football was one of those things I always knew I loved
and wanted to do,” he shares. “Even now, coming
out of the tunnel and hearing the roar of the crowd during
home games, it’s pretty intense. Every time I come out of
that tunnel, it still feels like a dream.”

For now, Fells’ focus is having as long of a career in the League
as possible, and enjoying time with his wife and baby daughter—but
he is hoping to start researching a master’s program in counseling soon.

“I just love helping people,” he says. “I love understanding why they
think a certain way and helping them figure out their problems. I’m
considering going into guidance counseling back in college, or maybe
marriage counseling. There’s so much to choose from, just choosing
the right one is the hardest part.”

Analyzing and understanding social behavior and structural patterns
are skills that have served Fells and other sociology majors well
in careers spanning law, business, government service, advanced
graduate studies, social work, urban planning, public health, and
teaching.

UCI sociologists are noted worldwide for cutting edge research in
global inequality and change, immigration, social networks, social
movements, political sociology, gender and class, population, social
inequality, race/ethnicity, and more. Sociology majors explore
topics such as how employment and incarceration status can change
racial perceptions, how social networks affect gang violence and
emergency response to catastrophic events, and how social movements
can impact democracies. Research findings impact international
population policy, the design and implementation of the U.S. Census,
and the development of more effective communication plans for times
of crisis.